Canadian cities not prepared for floods - study

Major Canadian cities have done a mediocre job of preparing for floods, a new study concludes, according to Huffington Post. "Flood preparedness for Canadian cities is, on average, mediocre," said Blair Feltmate in the article. Blair Intact chair of the climate adaptation project at the University of Waterloo and author of the study.

The cities scored relatively well on some factors, such as requiring the installation of backwater valves for new home construction to prevent water backing up basement drains, updating flood plain maps and restricting construction in flood-prone areas. But Feltmate was surprised at how little planning cities have done to ensure access to essential goods and services.